Pitch Black 4K UHD (2000)

[Telemachus]

We got so spoiled by Arrow on these first two films actually giving us the cut that played in theaters...

[Wintermute]

In Arrow's bonus interview ("Nightfall: The Making of Pitch Black"), director/writer David Twohy says that the lead role was about to go to an actor who'd been a big action star at the time, but "was known to be a major dick." Twohy told producers that he'd rather not make the movie at all than have this particular guy's chaos on set.

I got curious and found this article:
" 'Pitch Black' director: Vin Diesel saved me from 'fate worse than death' with Steven Seagal"

[Trekkie313]

I seriously doubt Universal would've banked on Seagal. He later did a straight-to-DVD submarine thriller that was supposed to have aliens and then forced the creators to scrap them a week a before shooting.

[Telemachus]

I can't even believe Seagal would be up for a movie like that in 1998, he was already unbankable until he did Exit Wounds. But considering Twohy had Charlie Sheen in The Arrival maybe it was true. I could see Van Damme being decent as Riddick, and Kurt Russell already played a Riddick type character in Soldier.

[AnimalCMan]

Originally Posted by Telemachus

I can't even believe Seagal would be up for a movie like that in 1998, he was already unbankable until he did Exit Wounds. But considering Twohy had Charlie Sheen in The Arrival maybe it was true. I could see Van Damme being decent as Riddick, and Kurt Russell already played a Riddick type character in Soldier.

I think casting any established action star as Riddick would have been a huge mistake. I saw this in theaters when it came out, and you really didn’t know what to make of Riddick at first. I had no idea who Vin Diesel was and for all I knew he really was playing a villain.

Twohy did a great job playing with expectations about all three leads in this by casting relative unknowns. I honestly had no clue who would live on that first viewing.